


Poker Face

by GugTheGoose



Series: Vengeance Vignettes [2]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Compliant, OK to share/link to, Spoilers for RQG 165, allusions to past trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:42:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29165145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GugTheGoose/pseuds/GugTheGoose
Summary: Siggif ponders
Series: Vengeance Vignettes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140968
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	Poker Face

_SCENE: On the Vengeance, crossing the Yablonoi mountains. The wood creaks and the gentle, muffled roar of the elemental engines permeates the soundscape. SIGGIF is seated in the ship’s unofficial poker den with KIKO and DRAAL._

Siggif scowled as Kiko good-naturedly gathered her winnings from himself and Draal, again. Draal seemed to be having a good time, although his own meagre pile of winnings was scarcely larger than theirs. He couldn’t be sure the kobold really understood how poker worked given the language barrier, but they seemed to have enjoyed building the den after he and Kiko had accidentally found them sleeping in a promising nook. The far-off sound of the shift-bell rang out from above-decks, and both Kiko and Draal rose, leaving Siggif alone. He climbed back up to the open deck and leafed through his winnings, acutely aware that Kiko could appear, grinning, at any moment, brandishing an ill-gotten IOU for scrubbing the kitchen or greasing the machinery. He supposed she would spend her newly-won free time with Azu the orc, secreted somewhere cosy below decks while he lugged around heavy barrels and cleaned the toilets.

He had known Azu would turn him down of course, as everybody seemed to; he knew his looks weren’t what they once were, but if he was being honest, he’d never really known how to talk- or apologise- to those he was attracted to. Kiko, on the other hand, could just stride in with an easy confidence and charm, tall and lithe with a twinkle in her eye, and outcompete him. He knew he shouldn’t really think of coupling as a competition, but Kiko just seemed to beat him no matter the arena.

Siggif, despite his many years in the skies, preferred to stay above decks when he was off-shift. It wasn’t just that the landscapes below and the cloudscapes around the ship were unendingly beautiful. It was just that this would be his first time flying over the Northern Wastes since the wild magic had taken his crewmates and friends. It wasn’t that he was scared; Siggif, rider of the clouds, didn’t get scared by a little wild magic. He just… preferred it when he could see what was on the horizon, prepare himself for whatever the aurora could throw at him and his new crew. He didn’t think any of them counted him as a friend this time, and if after scudding through the many-hued weave he disappeared, or was reduced to ash, or suffered any number of gruesome fates, he wasn’t sure who might mourn him.

He tried not to dwell on what had happened to his companions last time, pushing the memories down. He had taken this job for the much-needed gold, not to battle with his feelings or overcome fears (not that he was scared, of course). He leaned on the rail and spat a wad of chewing tobacco over the side of the ship, watching it fall towards the azure waters of Lake Baikal, an ancient and apparently unchanging scar on the landscape. His losing streak against Kiko was playing on his mind again, and it was difficult to stop his train of thought from straying towards other failures, things that he felt made him less. He scowled to himself. He was on an airship headed towards wild magic, yes. But this time, he was going to beat it. He and his crew would enter the aurora, and they would all come out the other side, intact.


End file.
